Your online source for Jane Austen and her legacy
"Me!" cried Fanny..."Indeed you must excuse me. I could not act any thing if you were to give me the world. No, indeed, I cannot act." Fanny Price, Chapter 15 In a popularity poll of Jane Austen's six major novels, Mansfield Park may come close to the bottom, but what a distinction that is in... Continue Reading →
THE NOVEL He was in love, very much in love; and it was a love which, operating on an active, sanguine spirit, of more warmth than delicacy, made her affection appear of greater consequence because it was withheld, and determined him to have the glory, as well as the felicity, of forcing her to love him.... Continue Reading →
Here's a little humor to brighten your Monday morning Janeites! Can you describe your life in six words or less? That was the question that Smith Magazine asked their online readers in 2006. What developed was an amazing array of comic, tragic and poignant mini life stories that are now available in the book Not Quite... Continue Reading →
THE NOVEL Fanny's last feeling in the visit was disappointment: for the shawl which Edmund was quietly taking from the servant to bring and put round her shoulders was seized by Mr. Crawford's quicker hand, and she was obliged to be indebted to his more prominent attention. The Narrator, Chapter 25 Quick Synopsis Sir Thomas... Continue Reading →
The Novel Jane Austen is renowned for her witty and sometimes cutting dialogue. Her novel Mansfield Park, though considered to contain a more darker subject matter, it still is full of them. Here are a select few that aim to amuse. Do not be surprised that the antagonist Mary Crawford gets all the best lines! "But... Continue Reading →
The Novel Her heart (Fanny) and her judgment were equally against Edmund's decision: she could not acquit his unsteadiness, and his happiness under it made her wretched. The Narrator, Chapter 17 Quick Synopsis Edmund reverses his opposition to act based on concerns for Mary Crawford. Fanny is shocked, Maria and Tom gloat. Henry's flirtations with... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: Anyone who lived through the 1980's can not hear the term Preppy and not smile! For the rest of you young things who were just a twinkle in your parents eyes, take notice and rent the movie Metropolitan — writer, director, and producer Whit Stillman's witty take on... Continue Reading →
THE NOVEL "You need not hurry when the object is only to prevent my saying a bon mot, for there is not the least wit in my nature. I am a very matter-of-fact, plain-spoken being, and may blunder on the borders of a repartee for half an hour together without striking it out." Mary Crawford,... Continue Reading →
I adore audiobooks and always have one playing away in my car during my commute to work; -- so when I went hunting to purchase a new unabridged audio edition on CD of Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park, I was quite surprised to learn that my choices were very few at exactly two; a Blackstone... Continue Reading →
Movies This six part BBC mini-series was adapted from Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park by Ken Taylor and broadcast in 1983 in the UK winning a BAFTA for costume designs by Ian Adley. Sensitively directed by David Giles, this interpretation of Jane Austen's most complex and challenging novel is by far the most accurate attempt... Continue Reading →
THE NOVEL "Do not let us be frightened from a good deed by a trifle. Give a girl an education, and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has the means of settling well, without farther expense to anybody." Mrs. Norris, Chapter 1 Quick Synopsis Ten year old poor relation... Continue Reading →
THE SCOOP Literary classics that are out of copyright can be a gold mine for publishers. With no living authors to negotiate contracts or pester them about marketing and promotions, they are at their leisure to do as they please, and do so, as is apparent in some choices of cover artwork! The competition in... Continue Reading →
